Friday, January 31, 2014

Happy Love Day

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I came across this card file the other day in the Silhouette America Online Store and immediately felt inspired to create a valentine using this Unity sentiment.  You get the card base, the frame with heart cut from the middle, and the inside piece for the sentiment. It went together very quickly and easily with minimal supplies.  Easy-peasy!

Happy Love Day Card Supplies

The sentiment is from the December 2013 Kit of the Month available at Unity Stamp Company.

The card (A2 Heart Pop Dot Card by Lori Whitlock) is available from the Silhouette America Online Store.  It was cut from Matte Photo Paper by Staples and Grey Wool Cardstock by Close To My Heart.  The card/card pieces were print-and-cut using my Silhouette Cameo/Hewlett Packard Photosmart B8550 with the Just Add Color and Floral Mini Kits available at Digital Project Life.  I used the red and black Silhouette Sketch Pens with the continuous feature selected in the software inside the frame and around the heart.  Also, the dashed line on the card base was accomplished with the black Silhouette Sketch Pen using perforate cut.  The frame on the card was adhered using 3D foam adhesive. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Unity Stamp Company’s “Your Love Blows Me Away” with Nancie’s “Vintage Valentine Sentiments 3”

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Valentine! Valentine! Valentine! Speaks to me in volumes this time of year.  I’m going to try and make as many as I can before the big day and after.  It’s my favorite card theme. I like nothing better than to pair premium Unity Stamp Company stamps with digital products by Nancie Rowe Janitz.  They go very well together. That’s what I’m sharing today. 

Tomorrow Nancie Rowe Janitz is releasing Vintage Valentine Sentiments 3 and Vintage Valentines 3 at jessicasprague.com.  Here’s a little sneak peek.

nrj-vintagesentiments3-prev1609854_10202911652493922_1262358575_n I used one of these sentiments on the inside of the above card I’m sharing today as I thought the Unity stamp by Phyllis Harris paired well with the sentiment.  In addition to being a Unity Stamp Company Artista, Phyllis Harris is also an illustrator for Scholastic, Standard Publishing, Fisher-Price, Hooked On Phonics, Houghton Mifflin, McGraw-Hill, Highlights and High-Five Magazine.  Her images are so charming and light-hearted and I’m drawn to her fun, whimsical style. 

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Unity Stamp Company has quite a bit of sales—I’m pretty sure weekly sales.  In the past couple of months, I’ve been able to take advantage of these sales here and there and have added to my collection.  Life has been so busy lately that I just haven’t been able to use any, but yesterday I couldn’t wait any longer.  This was the first stamp I used that I’ve collected in the recent sales.  I also used sentiments on the front of the card from Unity Stamp Company’s November 2013 Kit of the Month.  More to come I’m sure.  Here’s another peek at the card from a side view, so you can get a look at the dimension I was able to give to the stamp by fussy cutting (with my Silhouette) and the application of 3D Zots.

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Supplies for Will You Be Mine Forever and Ever Card

Your Love Blows Me Away Stamp Set by Phyllis Harris and November 2013 Kit of the Month available at Unity Stamp Company (scanned into my computer, filled with digital patterned papers and/or colored using Photoshop Elements, converted to png file, and printed-and-cut with my Silhouette Cameo and Hewlett Packard Photosmart B8550). Phyllis’s image was mounted to the card base using 3D Zots for dimension here and there and Tombow Multi Mono Liquid Glue.  Glossy accents by Ranger was applied to the heart-shaped balloon. Also, the sentiments from the above KOM were resized.

The sentiment inside the card is from Nancie Rowe Janitz’s Vintage Valentine Sentiments 3 kit available SOON at jessicasprague.com.  Nancie’s following kits were used in the stamped image, on the outside of the card, and on the inside of the card which fills the frame and are available NOW at jessicasprague.com.  Clicking on the collection images below will take you directly to the product pages at jessicasprague.com.

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The card base (card-welcome) and frame on the inside of the card (5 bracket frames and labels) is by Silhouette America and was cut from Krafty premium cardstock by Core’dinations, White Textured Cardstock, and Matte Photo Paper by Staples.

Evergreen Bough, Pumice Stone, and Black Soot Distress Inks were applied around the edges of the front of the card.

Squid Ink Gelato by Faber-Castell was applied to the edges of the sentiment pieces on the front of the card as well as the centerpiece with the focal image.

Zigzag stitches were sewn to the front of the card using my Singer Futura and black embroidery thread.

REMEMBER:  Vintage Valentine Sentiments and Valentines by Nancie Rowe Janitz will be released tomorrow at jessicasprague.com.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Happiest Place Ever with NEW Maggie Holmes Mini Kit

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Going back a short time again to last October’s Disneyland/California Adventure trip.  The above photo includes my son’s beautiful and talented girlfriend, Richelle, Jake, Raiden, and Gwen on the end.  This picture caught my attention when perusing my iPhone photos because of that collective look in their beautiful eyes. Everyone in the photo looks relaxed and happy to have the memory caught for a keepsake.  As always, Disneyland trips are hectic as we’re all trying to get through our own individual checklists of things we all want to see and do. In my heart, I think this last trip was the best ever.  We ALL went:  Brandi and her boyfriend, Max; Jake and his girlfriend, Richelle; Gwen and Raiden, my husband, Rodney, and me.  I found it’s not an easy task to get all eight of us together with busy schedules and tight budgets but it was accomplished and I’m so hoping we can do it again.  When me and my husband are older, we just want to watch our young family grow into a large family that we just didn’t get to appreciate when we were growing up as kids.  We want our own bunch of family. I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds and how they accomplish the task of getting us all together.  It’s important.

Happiest Place Ever! Layout Supplies

Maggie Holmes Mini Kit, Just Add Color Edition, Heritage Edition, and Coral Edition available at Digital Project Life.

Kraft Cardstock 12-x-12 base by Bazzill Basics Paper.

Matte Photo Paper by Staples for all of the print-and-cut pieces.

Pumice Stone Distress Ink was applied to the edges of the papers from Coral and Heritage Edition.

I used my Silhouette Cameo and software to print-and-cut the cards from Maggie’s new kit and pieces/patterned paper from Just Add Color, Coral, and Heritage Edition kits.  The black Silhouette Sketch Pen was used to make the border around the picture/card/title on the layout.  LW Handwriting font was used for the journaling which was purchased through the Silhouette America Online Store. The ticket border (filled with a print from Heritage Edition), the small scalloped border, distressed rectangle label (used as picture frame), and title were purchased through the Silhouette America Online Store.  The print-and-cut pieces from Just Add Color were adhered to the layout using 3D Zots.  The borders were adhered to the layout using a Tim Holtz tiny attacher with staples. The twine is from my local hardware store.

Below is a peek at the NEW Maggie Holmes Mini Kit, Just Add Color Edition Full Collection, Coral Edition Full Collection, and Heritage Edition Full Collection I used on the above layout. I’ve been using quite a bit of elements lately from Just Add Color.  All of these kits are an amazing addition to your Project Life collection.

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bh_heritage_fullcollection_prev_1024x1024 Click on the above collection images to be taken directly to the product pages at Digital Project Life.

REMEMBER:  You can get Maggie’s NEW kit for 20% off the regular price until Sunday, February 2, 2014.

Monday, January 27, 2014

UR Loved Valentine using NEW Maggie Holmes Mini Kit

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I just couldn’t resist using this NEW kit to make a simple card for Valentine’s Day--my personal favorite reason to make a card!  Project Life cards are a perfect canvas size to make greeting cards to send to friends and family or to just have on hand when you need one. This was put together in just minutes.

UR Loved Valentine Supplies

Maggie Holmes Mini Kit and Just Add Color Edition Full Collection available at Digital Project Life.

Matte Photo Paper by Staples (PERFECT to make print-and-cut cards with your Silhouette/printer as it’s double-sided)

I used my Silhouette Cameo and software to print-and-cut the above card using the “loved” card from Maggie’s new kit.  KI Giraffe font was used for the “UR” inside the heart.  This font was purchased through the Silhouette America Online Store as well as the card base which is a Lori Whitlock A2 tab card resized.  The hearts and xoxo were printed-and-cut (and just printed on the tab) using my Silhouette Cameo from the Just Add Color kit. The hearts were sewn to the card using my Singer Futura Sewing Machine with embroidery thread which added some dimension by folding the heart in the middle. It’s such a simple card and I LOVE the colors of the kits together.

Here’s a peek at the NEW Maggie Holmes Mini Kit and Just Add Color Edition Full Collection I used on the above card. BOTH kits are phenomenal.  I’ve been using quite a bit of elements from Just Add Color and I KNOW I’ll be using Maggie’s new kit quite a lot.

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Click on the above collection images to be taken directly to the product pages at Digital Project Life.

REMEMBER:  You can get Maggie’s NEW kit for 20% off the regular price until Sunday, February 2, 2014.

Happy Birthday!

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When I first started scrapbooking over ten years ago, I would painstakingly try to scrapbook our memories in chronological order.  That peeve lasted quite a while but was overwhelming to accomplish with four children and their milestones and such happening on a regular, daily basis.  Now I scrapbook when I’m inspired to do so and I’m a lot happier in my hobby.  Inspiration comes in many forms to me. Sometimes it’s a NEW collection I want to use, a sketch I want to try, or in this case, a picture I look back on and find something special I may not have seen when I first took the photo. The photo is of my husband’s birthday last November, almost three months ago.  I always take a photo of him in front of his cake while he blows out his candles.  ALWAYS.  I’m not sure if I’ve ever scrapped any of those photos, but there’s just something about this photo that warms my heart.  I think it’s the collective look in everyone’s eyes as we’re about to celebrate his birthday.  You can just tell we love and appreciate him and his sacrifices.  In addition, I see my wishes have come true while he’s about to make HIS birthday wish.  What a great time to celebrate and memorialize for my scrapbook. 

In the layout above, I used the NEW Maggie Holmes Mini Kit available NOW at Digital Project Life.  You can get this kit for 20% off the regular price until Sunday, February 2, 2014.  Also used is Digital Project Life’s Just Add Color kit which I think pairs well with Maggie Holmes Mini Kit for embellishments, etc.

Happy Birthday! Layout Supplies

Maggie Holmes Mini Kit and Just Add Color Edition Full Collection available at Digital Project Life.

White textured cardstock by Colorbok.

Pumice Stone Distress Ink was applied to the edge of the layout.

I used my Silhouette Cameo and software to print-and-cut the cards from Maggie’s new kit.  The black Silhouette Sketch Pen was used to make the border around the picture/card/title on the layout.  LW Handwriting font was used for the journaling.  LW Thick font was used for the title. Both of these fonts were purchased through the Silhouette America Online Store.  The camera, lucky me, and heart were printed-and-cut using my Silhouette Cameo from the Just Add Color kit. They were adhered to the layout using 3D Zots and Tim Holtz tiny attacher. Bling accents from Imaginisce were applied to the camera using their I-Rock tool.  The twine is from my local hardware store.

Here’s a peek at the NEW Maggie Holmes Mini Kit and Just Add Color Edition Full Collection I used on the above layout. BOTH kits are phenomenal.  I’ve been using quite a bit of elements from Just Add Color and I KNOW I’ll be using Maggie’s new kit quite a lot.

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Click on the above collection images to be taken directly to the product pages at Digital Project Life.

REMEMBER:  You can get Maggie’s NEW kit for 20% off the regular price until Sunday, February 2, 2014.

Braceface with NEW Maggie Holmes Mini!

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A little over a month ago, our Gwen got braces.  Much to our surprise, she’s been smiling ear-to-ear with them ever since.  Braceface has become our little nickname for Gwen and she’s embraced it as well. The layout above is a great representation of how she’s been smiling with her newest accessory.  Today is the arrival of the Maggie Holmes Mini Kit to Digital Project Life.  What a perfect kit to help us memorialize the essence of our Braceface.  This mini kit includes florals, butterflies, and bright vibrant colors that mix well with all of your photos. Also included are CUTE vintage camera and typewriter images. You can get this kit for 20% off the regular price until Sunday, February 2, 2014.  Digital Project Life’s Just Add Color is a kit that I’ve been using to help embellish my layouts and cards, and I think pairs well with Maggie Holmes Mini Kit. I used a sketch I found at the Studio Calico blog for the layout above.  Here’s a link to that sketch: http://www.studiocalico.com/blog/2014/1/12/sunday-sketch-i-christine

Braceface Layout Supplies

The sketch I used for the layout I found at Studio Calico (link for sketch above).

Maggie Holmes Mini Kit and Just Add Color Edition Full Collection available at Digital Project Life.

Krafty premium cardstock by Core’dinations.

I used my Silhouette Cameo and software to help make the basic shapes from the sketch. The black Silhouette Sketch Pen was used to make the border around the picture/DPL cards on the layout.  MondayFont was used for the journaling.  LD Zoot Suit font was used for the title. The arrow tab and both of the fonts were purchased through the Silhouette America Online Store.  Both of the DPL cards from Maggie’s kit were printed and cut using my Silhouette Cameo as well as the elements from the Just Add Color kit.  Bling accents from Imaginisce were applied to the layout using their I-Rock tool.  The twine is by My Mind’s Eye.  The bow was made using Unity Stamp Company’s bow maker and was attached using Tim Holtz’s tiny attacher.

Here’s a peek at the NEW Maggie Holmes Mini Kit and Just Add Color Edition Full Collection I used on the above layout. BOTH kits are phenomenal.  I’ve been using quite a bit of elements from Just Add Color and I KNOW I’ll be using Maggie’s new kit quite a lot.

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Click on the above collection images to be taken directly to the product pages at Digital Project Life.

REMEMBER:  You can get Maggie’s NEW kit for 20% off the regular price until Sunday, February 2, 2014. 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Less Is More Challenge: Week 154 OLC Hearts

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The above little one-layer valentine was entered into this week’s challenge over at “Less is More, A Clean and Simple Challenge Blog”.   A One Layer Card (OLC) is defined on the blog as, “One piece of card folded in half with no additional layers and minimal embellishments, where the image is stamped or printed directly onto the cardstock.” Already, QUITE the challenge for me.  I’m always using dimension and layers to create cards and projects.  I couldn’t resist the challenge, though, as the challenge theme prompt this week was HEARTS.   If you want to participate this week or find some OLC heart inspiration, here’s a link to this week’s challenge:  http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.com/2014/01/week-154-olc-hearts.html.

YOU Rule Valentine One-Layer Card

#546 Alice in Wonderland Queen of Hearts Digital Stamp from The Stamping Boutique.  This image was colored digitally using Digital Project Life’s Girl Theme Pack colors in Photoshop Elements.  The digital stamp was placed in the middle of a 4-x-6-inch journal card from the Girl Theme Pack mentioned above which is available NOW at Digital Project Life.

This digital stamp is only $3.25 and because it’s digital, you don’t pay for shipping and you get it FAST!  Clicking on the image below will take you directly to the product page at The Stamping Boutique.

queen-of-hearts2450 The journal card with digital stamp was then placed on top of the card base which was filled with patterned paper from the Midnight Edition of Digital Project Life Paper Pack in Silhouette Studio.  The font to make the sentiment was purchased through the Silhouette Online Store.  This card was then printed and cut using Staple’s matte photo paper which is an awesome weight of paper, by the way for this OLC.  This same photo paper is printable on both sides, so there’s no watermark or manufacturer print on the other side.  The black Silhouette pen was used in the machine to make the outer black border.   

VOILA! No fuss, Done—a one-layer card.

Here’s a peek at the Girl Theme Pack.  Click on the image below to be taken directly to the product pages at Digital Project Life.

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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

YOU are my Happy Place

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I love little camper and trailer images—they’re SO charming.  This digital stamp image by Tracey Malnofski is definitely no exception.  Sitting right on top of a giant heart with a chalk-inspired sentiment is delightful.  SO cute for Valentine’s Day, too!

YOU are my Happy Place Card

Cotton Candy Camper Digital Stamp from The Stamping Boutique.  This image was colored and paper-pieced digitally using Nancie Rowe Janitz’s In the Moment Paper Set (available SOON at jessicasprague.com) in Photoshop Elements, traced in Silhouette Studio, and then printed-and-cut using my Silhouette Cameo. This little camper was applied to the base of the card using 3D Zots and Tombow Mono Multiadhesive.  Glossy Accents was applied to the little hearts and star on the camper.

This digital stamp is only $3.25 and because it’s digital, you don’t pay for shipping and you get it FAST!  Clicking on the image below will take you directly to the product page at The Stamping Boutique.

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The card base is by Silhouette America and was printed and cut using Playful Papers by Nancie Rowe Janitz and is available NOW at jessicasprague.com.  The heart shape mat and sentiment is also available at Silhouette America Online Store.   

Metal and off-white accents by Imaginisce were applied to the curtains and flag pole using their I-Rock tool.

My First Bendy Card!

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I just discovered bendy cards this past week!  WHERE have I been?! There are a few available for purchase by Samantha Walker available at the Silhouette America Online Store.  I couldn’t wait to make one—the cut files are so easy to put together.

Happy, Happy Snowman Bendy Card

Happy, Happy Snowman digital stamp from The Stamping Boutique.  This image was colored and paper-pieced digitally using Nancie Rowe Janitz’s In The Moment Paper Set (coming SOON to jessicasprague.com) in Photoshop Elements.  The image was traced in Silhouette Studio, and then printed-and-cut using my Silhouette Cameo.  The image was applied to the base using 3D Zots and Tombow Mono Multiadhesive.  Glossy Accents was applied to the eyes, buttons, and sentiment label (from Nancie Rowe Janitz’s In The Moment Element Pack available SOON at jessicasprague.com) to give them some dimension and were then applied to the base of the digital stamp after the glossy accents dried with Tombow Mono Multiadhesive.

This digital stamp is only $3.25 and because it’s digital, you don’t pay for shipping and you get it FAST!  Clicking on the image below will take you directly to the product page at The Stamping Boutique. 

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The bendy card base is by Samantha Walker and is available at the Silhouette America Online Store.  It was printed and cut using various kits by Nancie Rowe Janitz Designs.